


(un)forgettable

by WindingArrow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bigotry, Bullying, Community: HPFT, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 10:14:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8052412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindingArrow/pseuds/WindingArrow
Summary: Lysander Scamander's biggest problem is that his best friend is dating his twin brother instead of him.
  Banner by me.2nd Place for dirigibleplums' First Line Challenge





	(un)forgettable

**Author's Note:**

> **Author's Note:** Title by dojh167 @ HPFT from her list of Inspiring Titles. I own nothing that belongs to JKR, just the plot.

"THIS IS A DRAMATIC DECLARATION OF MY LOVE."

The blond haired boy hit his fist on the broad surface of the Gryffindor table, but somehow missed and landed in the pudding. Rather than a satisfying _thunk!_ there was an embarrassing _squelch_. Snickers filled the hall, but he kept his gaze steady on the girl in front of him as his face grew redder.

The girl glanced at her friends on either side of her before smiling at the boy with his hand in the pudding.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The snickers rose to a deafening roar of laughter, at least at the Gryffindor table. The boy stared.

"I'm... Lysander Scamander," he said, his voice faltering. "We're in the same year. We have Charms, History of Magic, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, a- _and_ Muggle Studdies together. I tutored you in Transfiguration last year!"

Her slight smile turned into a vicious scowl for only an instant while her friends tittered about her newly announced short comings. It was not enough, however, to sway the rest of the student body from laughing at the poor Hufflepuff laying his heart bare for the girl.

She crossed her arms over her chest. Her head bobbled from side to side as she said, "You need to go find your seat, nerd."

Lysander's mouth opened and closed as his pale eyebrows knitted together in hurt and confusion. "B- but-"

Before he could form a thought, another girl appeared by his side. She wrapped her fingers around his arm and began leading him away with a flick of her wine red hair. "Come on, Andy," she said. "I told you not to bother with a stupid cow like Tilly Ingram."

"You had better watch your mouth, you little Potter-!" Tilly hissed out a rather indecent name.

"Your roots are showing, Ingram!" Lily tossed back, not bothering to look over her shoulder. Lysander was looking back and forth between Tilly and where he was walking. He saw her eyes narrow in anger before pulling out a mirror to inspect her white-blond hair.

He was led back to the Hufflepuff table where his brother sat, shaking his head at him. Lorcan and Lysander had been identical twins up until they were thirteen. That's when Lorcan had joined the quidditch team and put on a lot of muscle. His hair was cut short and at fifteen, he was already growing facial hair. He looked like their father. Lysander had joined the chess club, wore his hair long, and was rather scrawny for his age. He looked more like their mother. Shaving was not a concern.

"You should thank Lily," Lorcan said as they sat down. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I don't understand what you see in Tilly anyway. If she said yes, she'd make your life miserable. Otherwise, she was more than content with sitting there and humiliating you."

Lysander cast his brother a rueful look. Of course he could say that. All the girls loved him and despite Hufflepuff not having a good winning streak, he was by far the best Seeker in school after Albus Potter. And he had gotten Lily to go out with him. Lysander's efforts to woo the youngest Potter had been left unnoticed or forgotten.

He cast her a longing look while neither of them were paying attention. The Gryffindor had captured his affections when they first met on the Hogwarts Express in First Year. He sighed and grabbed a napkin, cleaning pudding from his hand and the cuff of his robes. She had become Lysander's best friend while Lorcan had teased and taunted her for over three years before finally asking her out to Hogsmeade at the end of Fourth Year. And she had accepted, leaving Lysander behind.

"I can set you up with a nice Ravenclaw, if you'd like," Lily said beside him. She dabbed delicately at her mouth with a napkin before taking a drink of water. "And I happen to know of a Hufflepuff that absolutely adores you. There are other women out there that are not Tilly Ingram and her gaggle of air heads." She muttered under her breath something that sounded like, '...should have been Slytherin...'

Lysander felt his face growing hot with embarrassment. "I don't need you to set me up," he snapped. He immediately regretted it as both she and Lorcan snapped their heads to him.

"Don't talk to her like that!" his brother growled. Lily waved him off.

"Andy, I'm just trying to help," she said quietly, understandingly.

That was what he loved most about Lily. She was as understanding as she was hot headed. But she could never see how hard Lysander tried to show her his feelings. He didn't really like Tilly, but she had said something the other day that had reminded him of Lily. He had liked it; had seen something good in her smile. He decided he couldn't be subtle, like he had been with Lily.

That hadn't worked out very well, either.

Lysander's shoulders slumped in defeat. He threw down his napkin and picked up a fork, resting his head in his hand as he poked at his food. "I know, I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm just frustrated."

She smiled. "I know. Come on, let me set you up! There's a Hogsmeade visit this weekend! You can double with me and Lorcan so that it's not awkward!"

He sighed, not sure how that wasn't supposed to be awkward. "Okay," he finally acquiested. He had to get Lily out of his head somehow.

She clapped her hands. "Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?"

"Well... Mum was Ravenclaw..."

"Ravenclaw it is! I promise, you'll love her!" Lily said.

Lysander looked at her from the corner of his eye. She kissed his brother on the cheek and went back to her meal, talking about something funny that had happened in Charms class that day. His heart felt like it was being dragged down by an anchor and his stomach twisted into knots. It wasn't fair. He forced a bite of food into his mouth, not even sure what was on his plate. He looked at Tilly at the Gryffindor table. She was already back to normal, unfazed by his sudden outburst. What had he been thinking?

~*~

Saturday came faster than Lysander would have liked. Lily had kept the identity of his date a secret all week and he didn't like that, either. Surprises felt like something he should avoid. But, he stood waiting patiently next to the path that led to the wizarding village wearing a sweater and a scarf to ward off the chill of autumn. He was trying to think only positive thoughts so as to discourage wrackspurts from getting into his head, but he was finding it increasingly difficult. He was going to be out in Hogsmeade with Lily, but he wasn't going to be with her.

It simply wasn't fair.

He looked up from the frost covered ground when he heard his brother's voice. Lorcan was holding Lily's hand as they came ambling toward him. Lysander hoped he didn't look too stiff or anxious. He glanced around for a third person, but could see none.

"Afternoon, Andy!" Lily called when they were closer. She pulled him into a hug and his stomach did a backflip. "May I introduce Miss Patricia Porter of Ravenclaw!"

"Patty Porter?" he choked. But still, there was no one there. Patty was a Beater and a year below them, but with an early-year birthday, she was only a couple months younger. She also wasn't very nice to him. Lily knew that.

Suddenly, Patty appeared out of thin air, a translucent silvery material in her hand. She grinned broadly and gave a bow, her long , dark hair almost falling to the ground as she did so. "Ta-da!" she said proudly. She raised the material in her hand. "An invisibility cloak! It was tricky, but I just finished it this morning! It was one of the hardest spells I've ever done. What do you think, Scamander? You looked ready to wet yourself!"

Lysander tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. Patty was smart, but she was also what Lysander liked to call 'rough around the edges.' She was always scaring him, belittling him, and punching him in the arm. It didn't always hurt, but he bruised easily. She strode over to him and slugged him in the arm before wrapping one of her own around it. He tried not to wince and he glanced back at Lily and his brother. Lorcan was snickering and Lily gave him an encouraging smile.

As they headed down the path, Lysander wished he had said Hufflepuff.

They took the normal route, hitting Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and then Honeyduke's. They checked in at Tomes and Scrolls so that Lily and Lysander could get the new copy of a book series they followed and after, they stopped at Spintwitches Sporting Needs so Lorcan and Patty could check to see if they had any new gear.

All the while, Patty kept talking and laughing and punching, never letting go of his arm. Lysander couldn't help but wince in pain now because she kept hitting the same spot over and over. Despite her jibes and remarks about him, though, she seemed to enjoy being on a date with him. That was the part he didn't understand. He always assumed that Patty didn't like him. Now he didn't know what to think. It sort of reminded him of Lorcan and Lily except that Lorcan had stopped being mean to Lily after he asked her out.

"Is anyone else hungry? We could head up to Madame Puddifoot's," Lorcan suggested as they left the sporting goods shop. Neither quidditch player had bought anything, but Patty had 'playfully' poked Lysander in the ribs with a Beater's bat. (When he squirmed away, she told him to 'grow a pair.')

"You are such a girl!" Patty said, wrinkling her nose. Lysander raised his eyebrows. Normally, he was the only one getting that remark. "That place is for saps! I vote butterbeers and pot pies at the Three Broomsticks!"

"Here, here!" Lily and Lysander replied. He looked at Patty as she grinned at him. Maybe she wasn't so bad? But could she please stop hitting him in the arm?

Lorcan looked a little put out and Lily kissed his cheek. "We'll go there next week," she whispered.

Lysander and Patty exchanged a look and pretended not to hear. She giggled rather girlishly before slugging him in the arm again. His smile turned into a grimace.

"Let's just... Get the food," he said weakly, turning to head toward the Hogsmeade hot spot.

Inside, they found a table and sat down. The underage-friendly pub was packed with students. A young waitress came by for their orders and after she left, they fell into (mostly) easy conversation. Until Patty started in on Lysander.

"So, _Andy_ ," she began. Lysander winced again and it was beginning to hurt his face. Lily was literally the only person who called him Andy and he didn't even know why. What he _did_ know was that he didn't like the way it sounded coming out of Patty's mouth. "Couldn't get up the guts to ask me out yourself? Had to get your brother's girl to do it? I thought you had more nerve after the Tilly Incident."

How did it already have a name? It had happened just a few days ago! Furthermore, what was she trying to imply? (Or blatantly say to his face, rather...) "I didn't ask anyone to ask you out for me," he said, trying to remain calm. "Lily offered to set me up." He bit back a remark about not calling him 'Andy.' Dates were supposed to be fun, or so he had heard.

He cast a look at Lily who was looking between the two of them. She raised her eyebrows at him, her face seeming to say, _'Say something. Be nice. Show her how great you are.'_ Lysander replied with pursed lips and a furrowed brow replying with, _'What do you want from me? She's an abusive lunatic.'_ At least he hoped that's what she saw. Her lips twisted to the side and he definitely knew that look. _'Try.'_

He cleared his throat. Their butterbeers served themselves to the table. "Not that I'm not... Intrigued," he said carefully. He reached over to uncork her bottle for her. He wasn't strong, but he could uncork a bottle faster than anyone he knew. It wasn't much of a talent, but it was his. "I would have never guessed that you wanted to go out."

Patty clicked her tongue before drinking some of her beverage. "That's because you're such a girl. Up until a few days ago, I sort of thought you were, you know, gay." She crossed her thumbs together and flapped her hands like wings. Lysander wrinkled his nose. "Everyone seems to be gay these days. Or they don't know what gender they want to be- it's a mess. I don't understand it, personally, but, whatever, I guess." She shrugged, putting her bottle to her lips. "Where is our food?"

Lysander looked at Lily again, now a bit angry. Who did Patty think she was? For all the prejudices in the wizarding world, he didn't think that that sort of bigotry was still among them. He and Lorcan both had been raised to accept everyone and there were all kinds in their group of family and friends -from muggles to members of the LGBQTA community. Perhaps he shouldn't be so judgemental. She wasn't exactly sitting here and bashing them, but it still wasn't very nice. He'd blame her muggle heritage, but that seemed unfair to muggles.

"Besides, you can't blame me," Patty continued. "You look very feminine compared to your brother. And you always sort of... Fade into the background. Forgettable. But look at you now!" She punched him in the arm again. It was throbbing. She wasn't even hitting him that hard. "Popping out of the scenery for once! Out on the town with a real lady and friends! Oh, food!"

Lysander bit back another remark regarding Patty's status as a 'lady' while the waitress set down four piping hot pot pies. He stood up.

"I'm sorry, I need to step outside," he said stiffly, heading for the door.

"Andy!" Lily called, tossing her napkin down to follow him.

Lorcan remained uncomfortably at the table, not sure what to do. Patty was already digging into her pie. She glanced toward the door and then to Lorcan, pausing mid-chew.

"Was it something I said?"

The Seeker made a series of noncommital sounds before shovelling a forkful of pie into his mouth, tears springing to his eyes from the heat. Patty clicked her tongue.

"Girl," she muttered.

Outside, Lysander quickly turned the nearest corner, slipping down the alley between the Three Broomsticks and Scrivenshaft's. He leaned against the brick wall of the quill shop and hit his fist against it. The solid stone sent and uncomfortable shockwave up his arm and he hissed. At least he was beating _himself_ up.

"Andy," Lily said, distaught. She walked to stand in front of him, taking his head in her hands so that he had to look at her. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I didn't know Patty would be like that. Well, at least... I thought she was like Lorcan."

"God, Lily, that's not even the point," he moaned, pulling away from her touch. She was his brother's girl.

"Talk to me," she pleaded. "Tell me what the point is. Andy, I was just trying to help."

"I know, I just wish-" _I just wish you could see that it was always you._ He couldn't bring himself to say the words. "I don't want to ruin your date. I'm going to head back to the castle."

"No, don't leave! At least come finish dinner with us! I'll make Lorcan trade places with you so she isn't punching your arm." She caught him by that same arm and pulled up his sweater sleeve. The bruise was purple and massive. "Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing..."

He shrugged his arm away and rolled his sleeve back down, drawing himself up to his full height. "I'm fine. I'm not a girl."

"That's not fair," she said. Anger laced her voice. _"I_ never said that!"

"Well you didn't have to!" he spat. He regretted every word, but he couldn't stop them before they flew out of his mouth. He was angry, hurt, humiliated. How was he supposed to make this right? Keeping his mouth shut would be a good start.

"Do you really think that's what I think of you, Lysander?" Her voice was heavy, quiet. His gaze flew to hers. She never called him by his full name.

"Why are you with Lorcan?" he asked suddenly.

When she looked up at him, he could see the wetness in her eyes. His stomach turned with guilt.

"What?"

He took a breath, turning to fully face her. "Why are you dating my brother?" he repeated. "He was... A complete git to you- pulling your hair, calling you names, making snide remarks all the time. When he asked you out, I expected you to laugh in his face and you- you didn't! You went out with the wanker! It's not fair! Was it the muscles? The tan? The haircut? I want to know!"

Lily's mouth opened and closed for several moments before she could finally speak. "A lot of boys tease the girls they like when they're younger! It happens! And it just so happens that I- I happened to like Lorcan as well! Patty said she liked you, so that's why I thought she picked on you... And besides, he had the nerve to ask me out after all that, so I accepted! It wasn't as if I had hundreds of suitors at the time, and why shouldn't I date him?" she demanded in return, her chin jutting out in defiance. "He's a perfectly nice boy!"

Lysander ran a hand through his hair and pursed his lips. Could he just tell her? It seemed like it would be too late. It seemed like it wouldn't be enough. He took two strides toward her to close the distance between them. She looked just a little nervous, but she didn't move, the Weasley in her making her hold her ground.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice wavering.

He took her face in his hands and looked into her gorgeous blue eyes. "This is a dramatic declaration of my love," he said in a harsh whisper.

Their noses touched. She didn't pull away. In a breath, his lips claimed hers. He was spurred on when her hands wound their way around his neck. His own dropped to her hips and pulled her closer, mouth moving against hers as if it had been made to perfectly fit.

Lily pulled away first and somehow, he knew she would. She took a step back, letting their hands fall to their sides. His eyes searched hers for some sort of reciprocation. All he found was an apology.

Without a word, she walked past him back onto the busy street and into the pub. Lysander remained in the alley for several moments before starting the walk back to the castle. At the very least, he hoped that this effort would be unforgettable.


End file.
